Accademia degli Arcadi e Bosco Parrasio

Academy founded in the late 17th century for the purpose of bringing together scholars and poets, and still active today.
Very evocative.

One of the most mysterious and evocative places (from the outside), it rarely opens its doors, but a visit offers intense emotions (from the inside), even if limited. The only flaw—if one can call it a flaw—is its small size. It's essentially a garden leading to an elegant palace. It has little resemblance to a forest as we know it, but the spirit that animated its founders (and inspired its creation) still pervades every little pebble. The academy was founded in 1690 by a small circle of poets from the entourage of Queen Christina of Sweden and was inspired by a literary movement that was spreading throughout Italy in response to seventeenth-century poetry and the Baroque style in general, which were deemed to be in bad taste. After more than thirty years of temporary premises (and thanks to funding from the Portuguese ruler), the construction of this building was funded in the early 1700s. Today, however, we see it in a revised and improved version, thanks to a restoration completed in 1839. In reality, the entire complex was a forest and was intended to evoke the bucolic and pastoral atmosphere of ancient Greece, which inspired the poets. Unfortunately, the fighting on the Janiculum in the mid-19th century severely damaged the structures, which fell into disuse by the end of the century. This building is now rented out to private individuals for various purposes, but it remains a beautiful example of a multi-level garden, with a monumental gateway that is among the most beautiful in the capital, a pair of avenues with pincer steps leading to a first level containing a small nymphaeum with a rock garden, and then, at the top, the square with the theater that acts as a backdrop to the square with the concave façade of the classical-style building (made even more evocative by the vegetation enveloping the front wall). Many are actually a bit disappointed by the small size of the place, which can be visited in just a few minutes, but I assure you, the charm remains intact, and you can imagine this space hosting highly evocative events open to the public. Need some useful info? Then leave a like and check out other reviews of Rome.